Alarm-actuating apparatus



1. R. MEADOWCROFT.

ALARM AcTuATlNG APPARATUS.

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JOHN n. MEAnoWcRoFT, or MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

ALARM-ACTUATinG APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 192e.

Application filed September 17, 1917, Serial No. 191,809. RenewedvOctober 13, 1919. SerialV No. 330,526.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN ROBERT MEAD- owonorr, a subject ofthe King ofJGrreat Britain, and resident ofthe Acity of Montreal, in the Provinceof Quebec, v'Dominion of` water through the retarding apparatus foroperatingt-he alarm; and my invention has for its object to prevent theoperation of the alarm proper 1by small intermittent flows of water dueto lother causes than fire and which do not require an yalarm to begiven. To this end the invention may be said briefly to consist Iof 4aretarding Iapparatus` including retarding and accumulating chambershaving `inlet and discharge ports andthe ports of the retardingchamber"having means for maintaining the inlet port closed and `adapted toclose the outlet port when the inlet port is open and vice versa for thepurpose of insuring an accumulation of water in thec'hamber When analarm is sounded, and provided with a rapid discharge from the chamberof-any waiter admitted thereto intermittently from other causes thanfire. Another feature ofthe invention is the particular constructionofthe inlet ports to lthe apparatus and from the reta-rding to theaccumulating chamber, fthe former being, for the purpose of myinvention, of the diminutive bore type, the object being in the case ofthisport to increase the velocity of the water passing therethrough andconvert the Iflowing body into a jet of suflicientforce to operateY Vthecontrolling means; the portsV effecting communication between thechambers having a comparatively large bore solely forretarding the flow.l

For full comprehension, however, of my invention, reference must be 'hadto the' accompanying drawings inwhich similar reference charactersindicate the same parts, and wherein: 1

Figure 1 is a vertical Asectional view of a retarding chamber; and

Fig. 2 is a ytransverse sectional view-taken on line 2 2 Fig,1.

The lire extinguishing Vand alarm system to which this invention hasparticular reference'and the working of which is rendered more elicientby'this invention, is disclosed in vmy companion application for patentfiled on the 17th day of September, 1917. The Iapplication of thisretarding chamber is illustrated in the application just mentioned.

My present invention comprises a dual chamber' onenportion 2 of whichhas arretarding function and the other, 3, acts as an accumulator. Aysingle casting preferably embodies the accumulating and approximately4half of the retarding chamber, the other half ofthe `latter consistingof a casting composed of a member 4; of the wall of the A'casting and anoblique partition 5 inclosing the chamber sub-divided by a wall 6 intoinlet and outlet sub-chambers 7 and 8, respectively. The inlet -chamber7 has the inlet pipe connected thereto by a tail-piece 12 clamped inplace by a coupling 13 serving as a retaining-means for a strainer 14.The opposite end of the inlet `pipe is connected to the main Avalvechamber such as disclosed in my patent application ,abovementionedV inwhich the valve opens and water is allowed to'flow into the inletchamber 7 when pressure within the main valve chamber becomes less thanthe pressure in the` supply pipe. The discharge from the `inlet chamberis of diminutive capacity presented by a plug 15 screwed into a tappedhole 16 in partition 5 and having a port 18 therethrough of diminutivelysmall'bore, concavities 9`and 10 respectively, on opposite sides of theplug converging in the jet opening; the strainer Abeing for the purposeof prevent-` ingsediment in the water ofthe system from blocking thisport 18. The outer side of this plug or bushing relatively to the inletchambery 7 has an annular shoulder 19 encircling the port 18- and has anarrow top to facilitate the seating vof one of the alternating valves.Y The outlet from chamber 2 to the outlet sub-chamber 8 is through arelatively large port 20 and a correspondinglylarge i port 2l acts as adischarge from this subchamber 8 to a waste pipe or the like.

The partition between the ports 1S and 20 has a post 22 upon which alever is fulcrumed between its ends as at 23 such ends f being ofdifferent lengths, the short end eXf `tending over port 20 and carryinga valve 24 and the long arm extending over port 18 and beingcounter-weighted as at 25 and carrying a valver26. This casting isdetachably fastened in place upon the main casting by bolts 27A and nuts28. Thefaccumulating chamber is preferably located above the retardingchamberand communication is effected between them through a bushing 32screwed into an opening 33 in an upwardlyconcaved partition 34separating this chamber fromthe retarding chamber. This bushing has arelatively small Vcentral port35 and concavities 30 and 3l in itsopposite sides and converging in the port 35 thus Aimparting 'ajetproducing function to the bushing; and a seriesV of fingers 36Vsupporting a downwardly concave@ baille-plate 3T the purposeyof which isto check the water flowing from the accumulating chamber and prevent itfrom being projected from port Y 35 through the outlet port 38 in thetop of this accumulating chamber.

i Operation.

InV the operation of apparatus of this type, the sole aim is togivealarm lwhen fire occurs in a building protected by aire-extinguishing system of the type to which this invention relates.These alarms are given when the sprinkler system or any portion of it isset in operation, and it is most desirable that no alarm be given unlessthe sprinkler system is actually put into operation, which, with properinstallation, in-

variably takes place in the event of fire.

These alarms are actuated by apparatus operated in turn by the flow ofwater toward the sprinkler.

It is important to prevent the operation of the alarm apparatus` whenthe alarm valve is only intermittently momentarily opened without causenecessitating an alarm, or in other words, until -there is a steadycontinuous flow to the sprinklers, in which event the water dischargedinto the alarm pipe from the v other part of the system enters andfloods intake chamber 7 through port 18 thus raising valve 26 andclosing valve 24, flooding chambers 2 and 3 and reaching port 3S whichresults in actuating the alarm. Y

.Should water hammer occur the successive impulses will causevcomparatively small spurts of water to be conducted to chamber 7 and,each impulse will intermittently lift valve 26 from its seat and thewater will enter chamber 2, but during the intermission between theimpulses the counter weight 25 will shut valve 26 and lift up valve 241thus'opening the `relatively of the port y2OV will drain oilfthisintermittently iowing water and prevent suflicient accumulation thereofto reach port 38. In this manner the operation of the alarm YVlarge port20, and however rapid the iinpulses may be the relatively greatercapacity n sounding or indicating apparatus iseprevent ed when no vcauseexists foran alarm. Y

The plug l'has a dual purpose in that it serves to concentrate the vflowand thereby increase the velocity sufliciently'to overcome"extinguishing and alarm systems Vconsisting v of a casing having adetachable portion,

said portion'having inletl and dischargey sub-chambers therein andinlet. and discharge ports respectively communicating with the inlet anddischargeA sub-chambers, f

a lever fulcrumed between its ends between y the said ports andcoperating alternating check valves controlling said ports, said valvesbeing carried by the opposite ends of saidv lever." e Y 2. A retardingchamber for automatic-fire extinguishing and alarm systems consisting ofa casing having a detachable portion, said portion having inlet anddischarge subchambers therein and inletrand discharge ports respectivelycommunicating with the inlet and discharge sub-chambers, a leverfulcrumed between its ends betweenV the said ports and coperatingalternating check valvescontrolling said'ports, said valves be* ingYcarried by the opposite ends of Vsaid lever, one end of the saidleverbeinglonger than the other end and counter-weighted.

3. In a retarding apparatus ofthe type described including a lcasing, avpartition extending obliquely across and `dividing theone of said portsbeing of diminutive ,boreV and effecting communication between the inicolet and accumulating chambers and the other Y of said ports being ofcomparatively large bore and effecting communication vbetween saidaccumulating and dischargerchambers and coperating alternating checkVvalves controlling said ports.

4. In a retarding 'apparatus of the typel described including a casing,a partition extending obliquely across and dividing the linterior of thecasing into two chambers,

one of said chambers constituting an accumulating chamber'7 a secondpartition subdividing the other of said chambers into inlet anddischarge sub-chambers, said first mentioned partition having inlet anddischarge ports, one of said ports being of diminutive bore andeli'ecting communication between the inlet and accumulating chambers andthe other of said ports being of comparatively large bore and effectingcommunication between said accumulating and discharge chambers and a-lever fulcrumed between its ends between said ports, one end of thesaid lever being longer than the other end and counter-weighted, andcoperating alternating check valves controlling said ports, said valvesbeing carried by the opposite ends of said lever and the valvecontrolling the inlet port having a concave and relatively wide impactsurface.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two witnesses.

JOI-IN R. MEADOVVCROF T. Witnesses:

GORDON Gr. COOKE, WILLIAM J. C. HnWETsoN.

